Page 96 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“What matters right now is that she’s alive,” James responds curtly.

Roman scoffs, shaking his head. “And that this asshole is down,” he nods back at Igor, still writhing in pain.

My gaze wanders around, trying to observe every detail of what is becoming an increasingly more crowded scene. Paramedics run up the path with a gurney for Igor and a first-aid kit, while deputies move around securing the perimeter with yellow tape.

How many near misses do I get in a single lifetime?

“How could you do this, son?” Lev asks Igor as his wounds are dressed and his vitals are checked. A needle is inserted into a vein in his hand for the IV and he winces from the discomfort.

“You’re too old fashioned, old man. You’re unfit to lead the Bratva anymore,” Igor addresses his father, groaning. “It wasmytime.”

“You were never worthy of my throne,” Lev snarls. “You killed good people—Laura and George were my friends, Elise and Michael’s parents. Michael, the boy you so often referred to as your kid brother. You shot and almost killed your sister, my daughter. Igor, do you realize what you have done?”

“I did what I had to do!”

“And I have no choice but to do the same with you as soon as you’re healed.” Lev sighs deeply, watching with glistening eyes as the paramedics transfer Igor onto the gurney and carry him back down the mountain. Two deputies join them, while the sheriff stays behind with the crime scene unit. “Elise. I cannot express how sorry I am,” Lev says as he walks over.

I should feel vindicated, but all I’m carrying right now is grief. Years worth of pain and anguish have built up in my chest. It will take some time to flush it all out of my system.

“How’s Kara?” I ask.

“She’s stable for now,” Lev replies. “Andrei and Michael are with her at the hospital.”

“Which is where you’re going,” James tells me. “We need to get a doctor to look at you, to make sure that you and the baby are both okay.”

I nod slowly as Lev gives me a soft smile. “I just hope you’ll forgive me for letting you down, for not giving you enough reason to trust me,” he says as he approaches.

“He’s your son. I tried talking to all of you. I really did.”

“I know that now,” Lev lowers his gaze in shame. “And I can never repair what I am responsible for breaking, Elise. But the fact remains, you are still my daughter. When we buried George and Laura, I made you a promise, one I intend to keep long after I’m gone and despite the circumstances of this past year.”

“Elise needs some time to figure out how she feels, Lev,” James politely interjects. “Be thankful we respected your wishes. Igor is alive.”

“Dying will feel like the better option by the time I’m done with him,” Lev replies. “What Igor did goes beyond betrayal. It cuts deep for me as a father, but it has also injured the entire family. I have no choice but to punish him.”

“What will happen to him?” I ask Lev.

“You don’t want to know,” he says, shaking his head slowly.

Roman chuckles dryly. “That actually sounds better than me blowing his brains out, I’ll give you that.” He kneels in front of me and plants a kiss on my forehead. “Thank fuck we got to youin time, you reckless, wonderful creature.”

“I’m so sorry. I had to get to Kara. Something just didn’t feel right, and I had to get to the bottom of it.”

“Yes, well, that’s a problem in our family it seems,” Lev says. “Nobody communicates anymore. Igor was doing his thing and Kara was doing hers. I was trying to keep everything else tied together so our enemies wouldn’t catch the scent of blood in the water… it’s all so ridiculous. This could have been avoided.”

“But can you really blame me?” I ask him. “For leaving the way I did?”

Lev thinks about it for a moment. “No. We didn’t give you a good enough reason to stay, to trust us, especially not when my own son was doing what he was doing.”

“Maybe I should’ve fought harder, but family—”

He cuts me off. “Youarefamily, my sweet girl. Whatever Igor told you to deter you from speaking the truth, Elise, put it out of your head. The minute I took you and Michael in, you became my children, my daughter and my son, with as many rights and privileges as my own blood. I never felt any differences between the five of you.”

“You married your adopted daughter to your oldest son,” Oliver grumbles, arms crossed as he oversees the crime scene with hawk-like eyes, one ear glued to our conversation.

“It was my way of securing Elise and Michael’s rights to their inheritance in the event of my passing,” Lev explains. “Had I not done things the way I did, it would’ve been much easier for any one of my nieces and nephews to try and contest the will. There’s only so much that Igor, Kara, or Andrei could’ve done to stopthem. My attorneys are good, but my extended family is riddled with greedy hyenas and state lobbyists. I did what I thought was best to keep Elise and Michael safe under the Konstantinov umbrella.”

“I don’t need your money,” I tell him.

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